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Dead battery & Electrical gremlins

CursedGMC

By CursedGMC
in Troubleshooting & Recalls

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CursedGMC New Member

CursedGMC

Posted
Posted

Hi all. First of all, I want to say that my GMC is cursed. I have a 2017 Sierra Denali w/ 38K on the clock, that has been in the shop several times for multiple reasons.

 

Here's the latest. I went to charge a pair of SkullCandy bluetooth earbuds in my truck. I had them plugged into the DC accessory jack (AKA cigarette lighter) in the rear of the truck's central console. They were laying in the back seat charging up over night, because I'd forgotten about them and didn't have the presence of mind to unplug them. I woke up the next day to start my truck and the battery was dead. I don't know if it was the earbuds draining the battery, or if it was something else entirely, but that's the last thing I remember. I had all the other accessories unplugged, everything turned off as it would normally be. 

 

I had my girlfriend jump my truck with her Jeep and a set of booster cables. I found out that I had no master window switch for the drivers window only, all other windows worked. I had no USB charging ports working. I checked fuses on the passenger side fuse box and driver side fuse box. I replaced a fuse that looked good, with a new fuse, and my window and USB ports started working again. 

 

The truck is now telling me to "service stabilitrak system," and my retractable steps will sometimes stay "OUT" in the "OUT position" and when I'm driving they will sometimes randomly come out. This started happening since the whole dead battery situation.

 

In the mean time, I've been to Oriellys and I was told that my battery was holding a solid 10.4v. My alternator tests well for now. While driving, all my accessories work well. I'm getting between 12-14.4v.

 

I have pulled the negative battery cable and checked for power draw through the cable. I've been getting readings that say 2.3-5 amps drawing through the cable on the 5ADC setting.

 

My vehicle is out of warranty and it's been in the shop so much, I don't really trust anyone to wrench on it.

 

A battery is about $160. I don't want to replace a battery if I have a parasitic draw that will kill a new battery. Can I accurately check for a parasitic draw/short with my bad battery? Could the retractable steps be the culprit? Any help would be appreciated.

 

 

Darmichar Enthusiast

Darmichar

Posted
Posted

Get a friend, hook up the meter like you did when you measured the 2.3 - 5 amp draw and start pulling fuses one by one until the draw drops.  You have a short somewhere that is wreaking havoc with your electrical system.

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